Aeroplane.



A1AHLBREGHT.

AEROPLANE.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 17, 1913.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

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INVENTOR wnw ESSES if I A. AHLBREGHT. AEROPLANE. arrmoumn rum) APR. 17,1913.

1,092,888. T Patented Apr. 14, 1914,

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- B wgwk AUGUST AHLBRECHT, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

AEROPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1d, 1914.

Application filed April 17, 1913. Serial No. 761,683.

To ((77 11']: run it may concern Be it. known that I, AUGUST Annnnncn'r,a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain no anduseful Improvement in Aeroplanes. of which improvement the following isa. specification.

My invention relates to improvements in aeroplanes, particularlybi-planes, and has for its principal object, to provide means thereforto automatically reestablish the balance thereof, transversely, whendisturbed by air currents acting on either side thereof.

Other objects are, to provide a rudder construction therefor that isautomatic in its movement with that of the plane to establish alongitudinal balance thereof, and which is also arranged for manualoperation.

\Vith the above objects in view, the invention consists in certainfeatures of construction, in certain parts, and in certain combinationsof parts, as pointed out in the appended claims of-this specification.

An embodiment of the invention is illus* trated in the accompanyingdrawings forming a part .of the specification descriptive thereof,wherein certain detail parts are given certain numerals and referred toby such throughout the description, said drawings representing thefollowing views:

Figure 1 is a plan of an aeroplane embodying the features of invention.Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same, in section. 4 is a perspectiveof a detail part of the same.

The aeroplane structure here shown to illustrate the application of myinvention thereto, comprises, briefly, a suitable frame 1, provided witha rearwardly extended portion 2 suitably covered, to which frame issuitably secured an upper and lower supporting plane 3 and 4,respectively, said frame being strengthened by suitably arrangedguy-wires 5 and to either the upper plane or frame portion is fixedlyattached a platform 6. My improved balance as ap plied thereto,comprises a plurality of suit ably constructed transversely-disposedbalancing planes 7 secured in any desired manner to the frame,preferablyin such manner as to permit their adjustment vertically or otherwise, bysuch means, for example, as

the slidable sleeves 7, all of said planes being disposed at aninclination, approximatmg degrees, transversely to the direction offlight, the planes at one side being inclined in a reverse direction tothose at the opposite side, in which position they are maintained, anddisposed one above the other. In applying these balancing-planes to theaeroplane, it is important that they be positioned at a point beyond thesupporting planes thereof, such as shown, leaving an open space aboveand below the same, so as to not interfere with the proper action of theair currents above. and below the same.

If an aeroplane provided with the above described balancing planesshould be encountered by an air current flowing toward one side thereof,as for example, at the left side, then said air current acts upon theunder side of the balancing planes thereat and raises that side of theaeroplane, causing said aeroplane to dip and tend to descend to theright, the pressures of the sus taining air layer on the right sideacting on the underside of the balancing planes. thereat, causes theaeroplane to slide or skid upon the air layer until the aeroplane againbecomes righted to its normal horizontal position.

My improved steering rudder and operating means therefor, comprises aplurality of horizontally disposed rudder blades 8, hingedly connectedat their rear to the frame 1, the forward ends of which are adjustablyconnected by a rod 9'. A cord or wire 10 is attached to the upperrudder, passing over the pulleys 11 and 12, down and engaging with thepulleys 40, 43, 43 and beneath the pulley 15, thence along to andconnecting the vertically disposed and pivoted lever 19 at the lower endthereof, about the pulley 16, up and over the pulley 17 then over thepulley 18, down to and engaging the pulleys 4,1, 41, L2 and 42', thenceabout the pulley 14 to and about the pulley 13 to and connecting withthe lower rudder,said'pulleys being all suitably arranged or connectedto the aeroplane.

The manual adjusting means for the rudder blades, comprise a hand lever20 suitably mounted upon its pivot 20' to the structure and a T-shapedlever 21, also suitably mounted upon its pivot 21' to the structure,said T-lever being provided with spaced pulleys 22 and 23 for engagingsaid cord or wire 10,normally forcing it out of alinement between thepulleys 4.1 and 41 and 40 and 40, both of said levers being connected toone another by paralleling wires 24 and 25. To adjust the ruddersmanually, the operator adjusts the hand lever 20 upon its pivot, as forinstance to the left, to elevate the aeroplane, moving the T-lever 21 inthe same direction and causing the pulley 22 thereof to forcibly engagethe cord or wire 10, at that side and further depressing it out ofalineinent and allowing it to aline be-' tween the pulleys 40 and 40,thus displacing said cord or wire to such extent as to cause it to bemoved upon its pulleys and. lower the rudder blades from their normalpositions, shown by fulllines in Fig. 3 to that. shown in the samefigure by dotted lines, to a greater or less degree, as may be required.The means for automatically adjusting the rudder, con'iprises a swingingmember, preferably a platforn'r 2a adapted for carrying passengers orfreight, suspended by rods 26 from a transversehdisposed shaft 27suspended from the an derside of the fixed platform, said swingingplatform having an opening 28 therein through which the lever 19extends. said platform 26 being connected to one end of a lever 29,carrying a pulley 30 at its opposite end and pivotally secured to theaeroplane frame by a wire or cord passing over pulleys 32 and 33 alsosuitably mounted to said frame. A T-shaped lever 34, provided at itslower end with spaced pulleys 35 and 36, is pivotally mounted to theframe and connected at its upper end with a fixed support, such as theshaft 27, by a wire or cord 37. Normally. the lever 29 displaces thewire or cord 37, as does also the pulley 36 of the T-lever 34 displacethe wire or cord 10 out of alinement, as shown in Fig. 3, and should theaeroplane be caused to dip downward, for example, the lever 19 will beadjusted by the swinging platform and cause the cord or wire 10 to bemoved and adjust the rudder blades to a position such as shown by thedotted lines in Fig. 3. and 50' at the same time the platform will causethe lever 29 to be adjusted and disengage the pulley 30 thereof from theconnecting wire or cord 37, thus causing the T lever 3% to be adjustedand the pulley 35 thereof displace the Wire or cord 10, at that sidesufficient to move said wire longitudinally and cause the rudder bladesto be adjusted to about that shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. Shouldthe aeroplane dip at its rear, the adjustment of the rudder blades Willbe in an opposite direction, as will be apparent.

Having thus shown and described an embodiment of my. invention, what Iclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an aeroplane, the combination of a rigidly -fixedtransveisely-disposed balancing plane at and projecting beyond each sideof the supporting plane, the plane at one side being inclined in adirection opposite to that at the other side and bot-h in a directiontransversely to the direction of flight, the space directly above andbelow said balancing planes being entirely open, and said balancingplanes adapted to be adjusted vertically at their fixed points,

2. In an aeroplane, the combination of a plurality of rigidly-fixedtransverselyalisposed balancing planes at and projecting beyond eachside of the supporting planes. the planes at one side being all inclinedin a direction opposite to those at the other side and all disposed in adirection transversely to the direction of flight, the inneredges of allof said balancing planes being lowermost, and the space directly abovethe uppermost planes being entirely open.

In an aeroplane, the combination with a fixed support, of anapproximately horizontally-disposed rudder hingedly fixed thereto, awire forming a loop and having said rudder connected thereto, a pivotedmember disposed within said loop and adapted to adjust said loop-in thedirection of its length to move the rudder, and an. adjustablehand-operated member connected to and adapted to adjust said loopmember.

4. In an aeroplane, the combination with a fixed support, of anapproximately horizontally-disposed rudder 'hingedly fixed thereto, awire forming a loop and having said rudder connected thereto, a pivotedmember disposed within said loop and adapted to adjust said loop in thedirection of its length to move the rudder, an adjustablehand-operat-ing member connected to and adapted to adjust said loopmember, a swinging platform. and means for automatically adjusting saidloop to operate the rudder by the swinging movement of said platform.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

I)AVID B. OAKS,

R. S. IIARRISON.

